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Bullied as a Child, CEO of Gym Positivity Joey Swoll Almost Ended His Life Had His Mother Not Called: “I Don’t Wanna Die”

Published 08/30/2023, 6:45 AM EDT

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Joey Swoll is a bodybuilding, social media icon, who spreads positivity all around the society. Since he had faced bullying as a young boy, and even had to sleep in the cafeteria near the college gym in the second semester, it’s safe to say he knows hardship. The bodybuilder has built his whole social media career to advocate for positive behavior in the gym.

He calls out any individual who disrespects other people and breaks the rules of any societal environment. However, the person spreading positivity also needs respite and support. He fortunately found it in his mother who helped him come out of the dark place before it was too late. Swoll shared the story in a recent podcast and was brought to tears while narrating the life-changing moment. Let’s dive into the story.

Joey Swoll cried while talking about his mother saving him

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The short reel from Instagram was from ‘Straight Outta the Lair’ and showed Swoll talking about his mental state during Covid. He stressed the turmoil that he went through during the lockdown when no one was allowed to go outside.

This is the time when he had a life-changing incident. Swoll narrated, “Being alone in that apartment shut off from the world. During COVID couldn’t see my family was going through a lot of battles business-wise.” His business was not doing well and on top of that being isolated from everyone was not helping Joey’s mental state. He was fed up that no one was there for him when he needed them.

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Read More: “You Don’t Own the Gym”: Bodybuilding Icon Joey Swoll Infuriated Over an Ill-Mannered Guy at the Gym

Swoll went on, “I am sick of this. I think I had fourteen or fifteen Vicodin left in the bottle.” As soon as he talked about his mom, Swoll started tearing up. “And my phone rings it’s my mom.”

The bodybuilder’s mother was stressed. She knew that something was not right with her son. As soon as she called, she asked him if everything was all right because she did not have a good feeling, and he settled down to assure her. After the phone call, Joey had a huge realization, “I kept sitting there and thinking I don’t wanna die.” After this incident, he changed his life onto a positive path, and since then he has been stronger and more resilient.

Swoll has never hidden his dark times from the world and shared his hardships with his fans. His fans also know how he had gone through a phase of addiction, and overcame that battle as well.

Joey Swoll talks about his addiction

In January this year, he admitted that he had succumbed to an addiction to opioids in 2020. Opioids are often given in certain medical drugs as well. Getting rid of this addiction was not an easy route for Swoll.

He details his journey of addiction and recovery in the previous post. Joey wanted to do something about it and gradually rectified himself. In 2021, he worked on himself that also included a strong focus on fitness and staying away from social media.

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He came back stronger and ready to help the Fitness community through the hard times that he was also part of. Little did he know that the same fitness community would help him more than his own family. Swoll confessed, “When I came out about my addiction many friends dropped me and my own family told me I ’embarrassed them’.” 

Swoll added, “Yesterday a stranger at the gym I’ve never met before thanked me and told me my posts about addiction gave them the strength to get clean and helped save their life.” 

Joey has always championed keeping a positive environment for the gym and even outside it for the public. He reacts to trending videos of people, criticizing others, for not minding their own business. Swoll shares bold opinions that are necessary to hear, to increase positive human behavior in the gym. However, sometimes even the strongest people need help, and he got it from his mother who brought him back from the darkness.

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Watch This Story: 75-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger hitting the gym like a beast

What do you think about his experience? If you’re experiencing something similar, then please talk to someone dear to you or a professional. You are not alone.

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Written by:

Tanushree Bhowmick

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Tanushree Bhowmick is a Bodybuilding writer at EssentiallySports. She holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature from an eminent university. Gymnastics, Football, and Fitness have always intrigued Tanushree and inspired her in her professional writing career and lifestyle.
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Edited by:

Prateek Srivastava